A new interactive outdoor trail educating youngsters about the mining heritage of Bestwood Country Park is being launched next week.
Youngsters aged between two and eight can read the story of Peter the Pit Pony and then follow his trail using the sheet around the park to learn about its rich history in a fun and accessible way.
QR codes and items mentioned in the story are dotted about the trail and help bring the park’s incredible story to life.
Bestwood Country Park started out as a medieval hunting ground for royalty, but from 1872 to 1967, was home to a coal mine where miners dug up as much as 400 tonnes of coal an hour.
Peter the Pit Pony was a joint project between Nottinghamshire County Council, the Friends of Bestwood Country Park, Sandford Cascade project and Gedling Borough Council.
Laura Simpson, heritage tourism officer at Nottinghamshire County Council said: “Places like this deserve to be remembered as a valued piece of local history.
“I used to see a lot of parents out with their children around the park and they had no idea what used to be here or even what a coal mine was. Hopefully the new ‘Peter the Pit Pony’ resource will educate them in an engaging, enjoyable and accessible way.”
Councillor John Cottee, Chair of Nottinghamshire County Council’s Place Committee said he hopes the project will help bring the county’s industrial heritage and bring it to life for our younger generation.
He said: “Our heritage is important and this project fits perfectly with the County Council’s aspirations to make even more of Nottinghamshire’s fascinating past and encourage even more visitors to our area, staying longer and enjoying our sites and scenery. ”
“Tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors and contributes £1.8 billion per year to the Nottinghamshire economy.”
